We Figured By Paying Refs We Would Get The Better Choices Out There, But It Isn't Working. How Do You Guys Hire Your Refs ?

Haha. Even the refs that are not "Better Choices" don't mind being paid. I don't think you can keep them away like that.

For the most part, we hire fairly young refs while still in high school. For most of them it is their first job. We train them the way we want them and teach them a good work ethic. most of them stick around for a few years, but eventually all your good refs go on to bigger and better things. Really good employees don't work at paintball fields for too long (there are exceptions of course). A paintball referee isn't exactly a "career".

Mostly, I find that our best players make the best refs. They know the game and they know what they want to see in a ref. All they care about is paintball, they don't ask about your kids or personal life. They just want to admire people that play well and giggle at ones that do silly things on the field.

Some of the best methods we have used, is to scout talent at department sores, best buy, target, etc. I keep business cards with me and when I see someone who is a good employee at another store, I offer them an opportunity. I just hand them my card and tell them that if he/she is interested in an outdoor employment position, to give me a call. If/when they call I give them the whole run down and explain what the job actually requires. Most of these people have been well trained by departments that spend millions on how to train there employees. (Trust me, when I was young I worked at a big electronics store. They spend lots of money to train at some of these stores.) Just my .02
-Matt

Edit: Nevermind I checked out the website. Honestly I can kind've see why you can't find good refs.

__________________
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling that thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

"Originally posted by drunkkoala: does that make sense to you? u ****ing idiot."

Ask players that play there regularly offer them some discount and some cash. Ultimately the money comes back into your business. While you scout from players see there manor isms, see who is polite, has good morals, etc.

[quote=UglyDuckGizmo;47118809]What field?
Just recruit from the players that play there regularly.

Are you really that stupid ? If you take a player who is there all the time spending money and then start paying him to come oh duh, you will loose money. That is like a Hooker or a Stripper dating her best customer. We pay up to $10 per hour for our good refs which is far more than any normal teenager type job in this area.

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Losers Whine About Doing Their Best
Winners Go Home And F*CK The Prom Queen

Are you really that stupid ? If you take a player who is there all the time spending money and then start paying him to come oh duh, you will loose money. That is like a Hooker or a Stripper dating her best customer. We pay up to $10 per hour for our good refs which is far more than any normal teenager type job in this area.

I guess its a "loose" "loose" situation for you.

You do not seem to have the needed life experience to hire the help you need. Calling someone stupid for giving you a suggestion (indeed the best referees play or have played paintball and fully understand the game) that works at every paintball field.

also note: "paid" and try not to cruise control (all caps is edited for out viewing convenience)

You do not seem to have the needed life experience to hire the help you need. Calling someone stupid for giving you a suggestion (indeed the best referees play or have played paintball and fully understand the game) that works at every paintball field.

also note: "paid" and try not to cruise control (all caps is edited for out viewing convenience)

You probably need refs with playing experience for speedball, however some of our best refs (at a rec. field) have been people who have never played or have only played once or twice. I had one ref that played once in the three years he was with us. He was one of my all time favourite refs. He started with us when he was 15 and stayed with us until he finished High School and went to College.

Most of my refs also happen to play pump paintball. That may be in part because they aren't allowed to take hoppers on the field with them when they play on their days off or maybe it's just that the type of person that plays pump also happens to be the type of person that make a good ref (at least at our type of field).

Do you sponsor any teams? I use kids off of those teams. They get paid in gift certificates and get discounts on gear and paint and when they do get a chance to play they do not have to pay an air and field fee. I tell them when they start "If you dont do the job and Im not happy with it, your sponsorship will go away." I also give one case a month to the ref that I thought did the best job cleaning up the players area, raking the field, and works well with customers ect. I dont hire someone who I dont know, tried it and it didnt work out. Go with those kids who are probably going to be at your field every weekend anyway, and of course the one you know wont steal from you and do their job right.

You probably need refs with playing experience for speedball, however some of our best refs (at a rec. field) have been people who have never played or have only played once or twice. I had one ref that played once in the three years he was with us. He was one of my all time favourite refs. He started with us when he was 15 and stayed with us until he finished High School and went to College.

Most of my refs also happen to play pump paintball. That may be in part because they aren't allowed to take hoppers on the field with them when they play on their days off or maybe it's just that the type of person that plays pump also happens to be the type of person that make a good ref (at least at our type of field).

thats funny most all the refs at the local field here are also advocates for pump paintball.

Are you really that stupid ? If you take a player who is there all the time spending money and then start paying him to come oh duh, you will loose money. That is like a Hooker or a Stripper dating her best customer. We pay up to $10 per hour for our good refs which is far more than any normal teenager type job in this area.

Did you really come into this forum to ask for help and then insult someone who tried to help you? I wouldnt really expect that you are qualified to find quality help, when you yourself cannot spell PAID. And I would venture a guess and say that 90% of the fields around the world use players from their fields as refs. If you didnt play paintball why would you want to get lit up while reffing for $10/hour.

Your best bet is to put a listing in the paper, on the internet, sign at the field, etc. and clearly lay out the guidelines and expectations of prespective employees. If professionalism is your largest concern than you need to make that clear, especially with 16 year olds. I dont know how you run your business and how you manage your finances, but If I was personally to run a field I would hire a head ref and sponsor a couple of teams to fill in the voids. I personally would never sign a sponsorship agreement where I had to "put in hours", but there are alot of young teams that would. I did it when I was fourteen.

Are you really that stupid ? If you take a player who is there all the time spending money and then start paying him to come oh duh, you will loose money. That is like a Hooker or a Stripper dating her best customer. We pay up to $10 per hour for our good refs which is far more than any normal teenager type job in this area.

You asked and I answered. That's how virtually every paintball field I know of does it. The reffing staff generally comes from the body of players that make up the "regulars" at the field and from whatever teams you sponsor.

Personally, I wouldn't hire anyone to ref at my field that doesn't have at least a couple of years of playing experience. If I'm the customer, I want my games reffed by people who are players like me. People who KNOW paintball.

__________________
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling that thinks nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

"Originally posted by drunkkoala: does that make sense to you? u ****ing idiot."

I'm sorry, when did I log on to the players section and ask a question ? I asked a legitimate question to other fieldowners - not to players ! I don't care what someone who has never had to deal with hiring quality refs has to say. And if you read my question, you would have understood that much like every other field in the world - hundreds of people apply - and tons of players and teams are willing to trade for free play - that is not what the question was about. I asked a good question and one other FieldOwner offered up a great idea of talking to people at department stores, this is what I was looking for. Real ideas from people who know what they are talking about.

__________________

Losers Whine About Doing Their Best
Winners Go Home And F*CK The Prom Queen

If you opted to read the forum guidelines then you would understand this is a forum for field/store owners and those interested in stores and fields. I have worked/run/played at fields for nearly ten years. I would say that if you have "hundreds of people apply" and you cannot find suitable help that the problem lies in the management, not in the applicants. Have a nice day.

My local field that I ref at on occasion gives a choice as to payment. They will either pay you 50$ for a day of work...show up at 9 am and set up field, fill rental tanks, get everything set up all nice and pretty, OR you can take a case of paint "on the books".

Basically if I only plan on playing once during the weekend, I will ref on Saturday when all the walkons are there, and take a case on the books, and when I come in on Sunday I get my case of paint I worked for the day prior.

Other than that...much likes others have said, my field just recruits from the regulars that play there....that and the regulars are usually pretty good friends so transportation is not usually an issue since most of the regulars all come out together anyways.

I'm sorry, when did I log on to the players section and ask a question ? I asked a legitimate question to other fieldowners - not to players ! I don't care what someone who has never had to deal with hiring quality refs has to say. And if you read my question, you would have understood that much like every other field in the world - hundreds of people apply - and tons of players and teams are willing to trade for free play - that is not what the question was about. I asked a good question and one other FieldOwner offered up a great idea of talking to people at department stores, this is what I was looking for. Real ideas from people who know what they are talking about.

If I worked at Best Buy wandering around the store doing practically nothing all day, being paid, and getting everything in that store for cost, you'd have to offer me like $70/hr to get me to stand outside to get hit by paintballs. Not only that, but while you might offer $1-$2 more an hour than the other places, you can't offer them 40-50 hours a week guaranteed (unless you're indoor and open that many hours a week during breaks/summer). On top of that, I couldn't imagine seeing much room for promotion doing the job your looking to hire people for, and becoming a manager or assistant manager at a large chain store would look a lot better on a resume than paintball field referee.

^^^ If your really hooked on paintball and can't afford or wish to learn more and network....reffing can be a way to keep playing for some........
Some students can't work 40 hours....or the parents won't let them because they value grades before income......

$10.00 an hour seem like a good amount....maybe for the real good refs you could throw another case of paint their way...so other refs will step up.....or top two refs for the weekend.....good grade case and a white box grade..just some ideas...
The hours you work the refs would help also to help figure what they are making..
Also before or after taxes.......and min. wage for State......

I'm sorry, when did I log on to the players section and ask a question ? I asked a legitimate question to other fieldowners - not to players ! I don't care what someone who has never had to deal with hiring quality refs has to say. And if you read my question, you would have understood that much like every other field in the world - hundreds of people apply - and tons of players and teams are willing to trade for free play - that is not what the question was about. I asked a good question and one other FieldOwner offered up a great idea of talking to people at department stores, this is what I was looking for. Real ideas from people who know what they are talking about.

dude you sound like an ******* maybe thats why you cant even pay ppl to ref for you.
i know at my field we ref all day and all we get is $10 off a case of paint. but we still do it. personally i wouldnt ref for $10 an hour if they were gonna be complete **** holes like you